On the Outside, Looking In
by shadowblade-tara
Summary: Shadows Within. Rumors like to fly around the FBI, especially where the BAU is concerned. Get Strauss involved, and there's no telling what will happen.
1. Chapter 1

Criminal Minds © CBS.

Part 14 of the Shadows Within Saga.

**On the Outside, Looking In**

The BAU has always been sort of the black sheep of the FBI family, so to speak. It's a reasonably new division, gaining popularity and notoriety as they solve cases no one else can.

As their supervisor, Erin Strauss hears all the rumors. She knows all the little pieces of gossip that go around the FBI about her team. When she gets coffee, she hears about how they've taken down another bad guy. The older agents like to tell stories about the BAU. They talk about the group like they're some kind of superior fighting force compared to the rest of the agents, and it infuriates Strauss.

These kinds of rumors have been around from the beginning. Jason Gideon was a legend, after all, and once he insisted on taking in 21 (at the time) year old Spencer Reid – the youngest agent ever – the BAU became the source of more interesting rumors. A few people speculated how Reid had even gotten on the team. Anything from paying off Gideon to sleeping with Strauss (or even Hotch) was brought up at some point. Eventually the rumors died off as the other agents got bored with the show.

Then Gideon left. And oh, did Strauss hate him for that. Strauss may be the supervisor of the BAU, but everyone knew Aaron Hotchner didn't listen to her any more than he had to. Strauss's control of the team came through Gideon, because Gideon at least respected her. And then he left, and Strauss lost all control she may have had over the team.

It took her a few days to realize a whole new set of rumors was flying around the FBI, rumors that still haven't stopped to this day. Every time the rumors cease, something happens and the cycle starts all over again.

There's something different about this team. Everyone knows it. It became startlingly clear after Gideon left. Everyone assumed Gideon was the glue holding the team together, and with him gone, everyone assumed the BAU would just fall apart and a new team of profilers would be assembled. Yet somehow, that didn't happen.

At first Erin never heard anything specific regarding Hotchner's team. Just fragments as she walked down the halls – _strange, never fight, barely speak_ – and she didn't think much of them. She still hears such things from the new agents that come in. It's the more clearly developed thoughts she now hears from the older agents, the ones who have been around long enough to really get to know the team, that have her attention.

_Work really, really well together._

_I heard they all moved in to Rossi's apartment, even the analyst. _

_Never seen a team as close as they are – like family, don't you think?_

_Creepy as hell is what it is, the way that kid looks at you, like he knows what you're thinking._

Of course, that last one really should be her first priority – finding out exactly what it is that has agents so nervous around Spencer Reid, and put a stop to it. At the very least, alert Hotchner. Strauss, however, is sick of dealing with the BAU. She's sick of the hero-worship the rest of the agency has for Aaron Hotchner, and she really, really just wants to go home today. So she thinks nothing of it.

In retrospect, this is a Very Bad Idea.

Her path out of the headquarters takes her past the training area. From inside, she can hear the sounds of angry voices, and one calm and quiet voice she'd recognize anywhere.

Well, time to find out what all those rumors are about. She stand just outside of the training room – no one will ever see her here – and watches as three other agents surround Spencer Reid. He's wearing nothing but his workout pants; they must have caught him while he was changing. It just makes him look even skinnier, like Steve Rogers before the serum made him strong. The other men tower over him, all muscles and testosterone, ready for a fight. Strauss knows the ringleader personally. His name is Adam Hill.

Hill shoves Reid back into his companions, yelling something. Reid simply looks up at him, not saying a word, and Hill sneers. He slaps Reid across the face. Out of the corner of her eye, Strauss sees Garcia move back a little in her hiding place on the other side of the training room. Why doesn't she go find Hotchner like a good little minion?

Then Hill kicks Reid hard enough in the stomach to make him double over. Hill grabs Reid by the hair and jerks his head up, just in time to get clocked in the chin by the younger agent. Hill staggers backward, and Reid manages to get his feet underneath him and stands up, fists raised.

The entire time, he has not made a sound, and that unnerves Strauss. He should be crying out for help, but he's not. He's just standing here, facing down an agent twice his size with a confidence that she has never seen in him before. It's . . . unnerving.

"Hill!"

Morgan slams into him, using his full body weight and speed to knock Hill straight into the ground. A moment later, the entire team appears in the training room, and Garcia emerges from her hiding place. Hill struggles to get up, but Morgan has him effectively pinned.

Hill glares up at him. "What's your problem?"

"That's _my little brother_ you're screwing with." Morgan snarls. He struggles to keep Hill pinned while Hotchner and Rossi examine Reid. The younger agent just smiles at them and lifts his chin. Hotchner nods. Rossi rolls his eyes and takes Reid by the arm, guiding him away from Hill (his cohorts scattered the instant Morgan appeared), probably back to the dressing room. JJ and Garcia follow them.

Prentiss sticks around with Hotchner and Morgan. Strauss watches with renewed interest. This could answer a lot of questions. She watches as Morgan reluctantly lets Hill up. Hill staggers to his feet and grins at them.

"How sweet. You came to save the little freak. If you were smart, you'd let me put him in his place."

Morgan goes rigid. "His place?"

"Little freak acts like he's better than all of us." Hill growls. "Bastard. I'll show him."

Now this is 100% the wrong thing to say, and even Strauss knows it. She watches as Hotchner grabs Hill by his shirt and jerks him right up in his face. For a moment, Strauss thinks he's going to beat Hill. She's never seen Hotchner this pissed off.

"Come after what's mine again, and I will have your ass mounted on my wall. Understand me, _Agent _Hill?"

Hotchner's voice is soft and low as he delivers his threat. Prentiss and Morgan stand flanking Hotchner, arms crossed over their chests and anger clear in their faces. Hill, wisely, decides not to challenge them. He leaves.

Strauss does as well. Looks like some of the rumors are true, after all. Perhaps it's time to find out how many of them are true.

/-/

An: So, this was supposed to be a one-shot, and it will most likely be a two-shot. I just can't picture Strauss leaving it alone after that.


	2. Chapter 2

**On the Outside, Looking In – Pt 2**

It takes two weeks, but Strauss gets her chance. She waits until after a particularly difficult case for the team – it may make her look like an ass, but Hotchner is less inclined to give her the run-around when he's drop dead exhausted. That's not to say he won't just get up and walk out of her office. It makes for shorter meetings, though.

He already looks like hell. It's clear he hasn't bothered to clean up – there's blood smeared across his face and hands and staining his shirt. He long ago abandoned his jacket and tie. His shirt sleeves have been torn, and his hair is sticking straight up in all different directions, probably from running bloodied hands through it. His eyes are empty, and he refuses to look at her. He keeps touching his phone, keeping one hand in his pocket as if he won't reach it in time if it rings.

"Agent Hotchner." Strauss leans back in her seat. "We need to discuss some of the rumors going around about your team."

His hand stills. Slowly, he looks up at her. There's no longer that empty exhaustion around him; his eyes blaze with unfiltered hate and anger. Strauss has to resist the urge to push herself further into her chair and away from him.

"Rumors?" His voice is soft and harsh. "You pulled me away from my family to deal with _rumors_?"

Ah. Now this is the direction she wants to go. "Your family, Agent Hotchner?"

That condescending tone she always uses on him in the hopes of making him snap and punch her – or something else that will get him fired – finally works. He slams his hands down on her desk, and despite herself, she jerks backwards. Now Hotchner is in her face, eyes bright, lips twisted with something she can't quite describe.

"Yes, Strauss – _my family_. You didn't realize? Let me fill you in – two of my sons are currently in the hospital, one of them in critical condition, and the other may not be far behind. My daughters are there, waiting for any kind of news of their survival. My brother is there as well, making sure they don't fall apart while I'm _here,_ listening to you _bitch_ about how little attention you get compared to _me_." He's shaking by now, and suddenly Strauss realizes there are tears in his eyes that refuse to fall. "To make matters worse, I have Jack and Henry at home wondering why JJ and I are late, because I made our babysitter promise they wouldn't know until I knew more."

He stops, takes a deep breath. "Are you happy, Director Strauss? Does knowing how much I hate you right now make you happy?"

Strauss takes a moment to make sure her voice won't shake. "You're supposed to stay unattached." Her voice still sounds fainter than she would like. She _hates_ how Hotchner can intimidate her like this. "If your ability to remain objective has been compromised – "

Hotchner's harsh laughter shuts her up completely. "Compromised. I've been compromised since day 1. I can do my job, Strauss." He straightens up and sighs. Strauss watches as he starts to pace her office, absently shoving his hand back in his pocket so he can touch his phone. His eyes are distant, like he's tuning in to a transmission only he can hear. It's as unnerving as it annoying. She will not be ignored.

"What about the other rumors?"

"What other rumors?"

She's not surprised that he's back to not looking at her. He's already stuck around longer than she expected him to. "The ones that keep getting Agent Reid beat up, Aaron. Some of the agents are saying he can read their minds."

Hotchner freezes. Now that's a reaction she hadn't expected. "You're paying attention to those kinds of rumors, Strauss? You must be desperate."

"There must be something to them. Obviously Reid cannot read minds, but if he believes he can – or if he's finding out his information by other means – then he's a liability to the Bureau, and needs to be eliminated."

_Eliminated_ is a bad word to use. She knows that as soon as it leaves her mouth. Still, Hotcher's reaction surprises her.

He doesn't lash out. He doesn't attempt to hurt her in any way. He simply fixes her with a cold, hard stare as he speaks, his voice utterly flat and devoid of any hint of emotion. "You will not remove Reid from my team."

She lifts her chin. "I can if he's a problem. That's my prerogative."

"And mine is to tell you to go to hell. Reid's mine." He looks ready to say more (he's already given more than enough for her to call for disciplinary action) but stops suddenly. He doubles over, like someone has punched him in the gut, eyes wide.

"Morgan." The word escapes him in barely a whisper, and suddenly he's gone, out of the office and down the hall so fast it's like he was never there.

Strauss watches him go. She remembers hearing about a program the FBI and CIA worked on back in the day, when psychic powers were considered popular and not completely outlandish. Back then, there was talks of training agents to use mental powers to communicate with no words. It was scrapped, of course, but still.

She can't help but wonder if maybe those rumors are actually true. She can hear them starting up again as Hotchner makes his way out of the building and to the hospital. She knows that, come morning, there will be more hearsay to listen to and gossip to sort out. Maybe this time she'll hear something worth repeating.

In the meantime, she has a phone call to make.

She picks up the phone and dials a number. It rings, and she smiles when she hears the voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello, Jason."

/-/

At the hospital, the girls are crying, all gathering around Rossi as he tries to keep them calm. Hotch joins them without a word, wrapping his arms around JJ and Garcia while Prentiss clings to Rossi. The oldest agents looks up at him, eyes dark and clothes just as bloody as his.

Morgan's slipping away, and all of them reach out and grab hold, refusing to let their brother go. They anchor him there until the surgeons have him stabilized, until they're too weak to keep holding on. Exhausted beyond reason, Hotch reaches out one last time to Reid. His youngest is still with them, his soul crying out at the possibility of losing the only brother he's ever known.

What's going to happen to Reid if one of them dies? Hell, what's going to happen to all of them, as tied together as they are?

They don't relax until the doctors come out and tell them that both Morgan and Reid will make full recoveries. JJ finally calls home and lets the babysitter know that she'll be coming home, that everything is going to be okay. Rossi turns his attention to Hotch once again.

_How did it go?_

Hotch just shakes his head, unable to form even a single thought. He doesn't have the strength left to contemplate what's about to happen. His family survived hell just to walk through more fire.

Strauss knows.

**The End**

Here is where this section ends. There will be a few one-shots before this part of the plot picks back up again, but I will return to it. A few people wanted to see Gideon show back up, and I finally figured out the perfect way of making it happen.

Until next time,

Shadowblade-tara


End file.
